Who doesn’t love a quirky, funny news story? In a world filled with stressful headlines, hilarious anecdotes reported in the news are often a welcome relief. From crimes foiled by foolish mistakes to publicity stunts gone wrong, silly news stories never fail to put a smile on people’s faces.
In this article, we’ll countdown 10 of the most amusing, unbelievable but true news stories that made headlines for their hilarity. Get ready to laugh!
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The Australian Town Named F*cking
An Australian mining town gained notoriety for its hilarious name that is considered vulgar slang in English. The town named “Fucking” has apparently existed since at least the 1980s.
While English speakers may find the name obscene, it derives from an Austrian surname Fücking, similar to the F*cking brewery operating in Germany since 1731.
The town inadvertently ended up with a funny name in English that draws tourists for photos by the humorous town entrance sign. The few residents of Fucking take their odd town name in good humor though!
Stolen Potato Chips Returned One at a Time
A man was arrested for shoplifting after stealing a bag of potato chips from a convenience store. Following his arrest, the thief began regularly mailing back single potato chips to the store in envelopes.
Police were baffled to receive 13 envelopes over 2 years, each containing just one potato chip. Fingerprint analysis revealed the chips were being sent back by the original shoplifter! Apparently it was his unique way of anonymously making amends for the theft.
Prisoner Foiled by His Baggy Pants
A prisoner attempting to escape jail was foiled in his getaway attempt due to his baggy pants. The prisoner tried fleeing by jumping off of a high wall around the prison yard.
However, his loose-fitting pants began slipping down as he tried to scale the wall. The prisoner then became entangled in his sagging pants, got caught on the wall, and was left hilariously dangling until guards seized him.
Lesson learned: practical fashion choices matter even for mischievous activities!
Senator Topples Dominoes for 16-Day Filibuster
A Texas state senator delivered an unusual record-breaking 16-day filibuster to block anti-abortion legislation by speaking for over 10 hours straight, then reading books, singing songs, and even setting up dominoes.
Her dominoes lasted over 2 hours but Senator Wendy Davis was eventually told setting them up was not considered “germane to the bill”. Davis ultimately succeeded in running out the clock until the legislative deadline, preventing the bill from passing.
The marathon display of dominoes, books, and singing was an unorthodox but memorable approach to the filibuster.
Man Fakes His Own Death to Avoid Wedding
Getting cold feet before your wedding happens but usually doesn’t lead to faking your own demise!
Yet that’s exactly what one man did shortly before his nuptials. He fabricated his death certificate to break the news to his fiancé that he had suddenly “died”. His false death allowed him to get out of the unwanted marriage.
When the fake death report reached police ears though, he ended up getting charged for forgery! That’s definitely one way to seriously kill the wedding mood fast.
Senator Brings Snowball to Congress to Disprove Climate Change
In a viral face palm moment, Senator Jim Inhofe carried a snowball to the Senate floor as supposed evidence that climate change isn’t real. His rationale was that the existence of winter snow means global warming must not be happening.
Scientists universally condemned the Senator’s kindergarten-level misunderstanding of weather versus climate change. Though widely mocked, the snowball stunt succeeded more at political theater than making any scientific point.
National Spelling Bee Ends in Unprecedented 8-Way Tie
The Scripps National Spelling Bee ended with an astounding 8-way championship tie after organizers ran out of challenging words. It capped off months of competition among elite young spellers.
The tie resulted after 20 competitive final rounds when the extraordinary spelling skills of the remaining competitors surpassed the judges’ word lists. With spellers still flawlessly spelling outrageously difficult words, organizers had to call it quits with 8 co-champions, the most ever.
Stolen Skeleton Named Benny Returned with Apology Note
A full skeleton model was stolen from a college in India by several students who snuck it from the science lab as a prank. However, after accidentally breaking off one of the skeleton’s arms, the students returned it with an endearing handwritten apology letter.
Addressed to the anatomy department head, the letter asked for Benny the Skeleton’s forgiveness along with some firm skeleton puns to lighten the mood. The letter was signed by “your missing Benny” with a smiling skull doodle. Luckily professors had a good sense of humor about Benny’s little adventure!
Plane Forced to Turn Around Over Prank Ketchup Spill
A grandmother was removed from a flight before takeoff after jokingly pretending the tomato ketchup packet in her hand had burst open over her, a harmless prank she had apparently done many times before. However, this time the stunt was interpreted as a security threat.
Although she had not actually spilled anything, the aircraft nonetheless returned to the gate and made all passengers disembark to check there was no real security issue. The embarrassed woman was not allowed to reboard the flight which departed hours later. Definitely an overreaction by the airline to a harmless joking around!
Stray Dog Becomes Local Bus Conductor
A friendly stray dog in Colombia would frequently hop onto local buses, jump up to the fare collection window, and then politely greet bus riders. The dog’s habitual bus conducting was entertaining drivers and passengers alike.
As unofficial conductor, he would accompany drivers on their routes, pop his head up to say hi to amused commuters, hop off and take naps at bus terminals, then jump back on for return trips, a routine he happily follows daily.
Comparisons Between Stories
| Story | What Happened | Why It’s Funny |
|---|---|---|
| Town Named F*cking | Australian town coincidentally named a vulgar English slang word | Harmless name draws tourists for silly photos with town sign |
| Stolen Chips Returned | Thief mailed back one stolen chip at a time in bizarre anonymous atonement | Strange petty effort to make amends one chip at a time |
| Baggy Pants Prison Escape | Prisoner’s loose pants fell down during attempted jailbreak, leaving him dangling | Prisoner foiled in dramatic getaway by impractical low-hanging pants |
| Marathon Filibuster | Senator delivered epic 16-day speech filibuster involving dominoes and songs | Unusually entertaining display of dominoes and tunes to run out the clock |
| Faked Death to Avoid Wedding | Groom-to-be faked deadly certificate to get out of upcoming marriage | Extreme solution to skip town instead of facing wedding |
| Snowball Disproves Climate Change | Senator presented a snowball on Senate floor as proof against climate change | Laughable political stunt trying to discredit global warming with winter weather |
| National Spelling Bee 8-Way Tie | Spelling bee ended in unprecedented 8 co-champs after organizers exhausted hard words | Extreme word skills forced surprised tie when spellers out-spelled judges |
| Skeleton Returned with Apology | College students returned stolen skeleton with cute letter after breaking its arm | Endearing note to make amends for science lab skeleton mishap |
| Ketchup Prank Forces Plane U-Turn | Grandma jokingly faked ketchup spill as prank but plane turned around over it | Harmless joke caused embarrassing plane evacuation overreaction |
| Stray Dog Bus Conductor | Friendly Colombian stray happily befriends bus riders while making rounds | Heartwarming recurring travels of unofficial public transit pup conductor |
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Frequently Asked Questions
What was the funniest news story?
There’s certainly plenty to choose from! Many readers find the absurdity of the man faking his own demise just to avoid his wedding quite amusing. Others love picturing the mental image of the escaped prisoner caught dangling mid-air due to dangerously sagging jail pants. Most agree though it’s tough to top an entire Australian town named F*cking!
Have any funny news stories won journalism awards?
Yes! Unusual funny feature stories focusing on quirky people and events often win feature writing awards. For example, Dave Barry won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary with his humorous opinion columns in the Miami Herald. Feature writing awards like Ernie Pyle awards also recognize the most creative work behind odd and amusing news stories.
Where can I find funny and strange news stories?
Keep an eye on feature stories in major news publications, blogs covering odd news and offbeat discoveries, morning radio segments, late night talk shows, and water cooler conversations! Wacky headlines have a way of naturally bubbling to the surface through word of mouth and our human enjoyment of all things funny and peculiar. Let the most amusing and unbelievable tales find you!
Do journalists intentionally write funny news stories?
Some journalists do specialize in humor writing and intentionally inject comedy into commentary or human interest stories. However, journalists covering the news usually report odd stories with unintentional humor exactly as the peculiar events unfold. The comedy emerges naturally from the strange true happenings rather than punchlines invented purely for entertainment’s sake. Real incidents are often stranger than fiction!
Have funny news stories led to any changes or policies?
Definitely! Viral headlines drawing awareness, criticism, or mockery to questionable policies often spur calls for reforms. For example, Senator Jim Inhofe’s climate denying snowball stunt attracted such widespread ridicule it amplified scientific support for climate change. Other times it’s the news coverage of an oddity itself pressuring direct change, like the Austrian town now considering changing its accidentally offensive-in-English name of F*cking.
So go on, take a break from the serious headlines today. Search out a quirky news blooper or unbelievable occurrence to lift your spirits. And if you happen to spot the stray dog conductor checking bus tickets in Colombia, be sure to pet him for us!
